Shaft-shackle for vehicles.



No. 759,225. PATBNTED MAY l0, 1904.. S. R. BAILEY.

SHAFT SHACKLE FORl VEHICLES.

APPLICATION FILED IAN. 17, 1903.

Patented May 10, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

SAMUEL R. BAILEY, OF AMESBURY, MASSAGHUSETIS.

SHAFT-SHACKLE FOR VEHICLES.

'SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 759,225, dated May 10, 1904:. Appiicanon fired rauw-y 17,1903. serai No. 139,413. (No moda.)

To CIJ/ wi/.0m t 'may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL R. BAILEY, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Amesbury, in the county of Essex .and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Shaft-Shackles for Vehicles, of which the following is a speciiication.

This invention relates to improvements in shaft-shackles for vehicles; and it has for its object a device of improved and simplified construction capable of being readily applied to and detached from the clip.

My invention consists in the features and in the construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter described, and definitely pointed out in the claims following the description,ref erence being' had to the accompanying drawings, where- Figure I is a front elevation of my improved shaft-shackle, showing the same applied to a thill-coupling of a vehicle-axle. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section on the line 2 2 shown in Eig. l, and Fig. 3 is a cross-section on the line 8 3 shown in Eig. 2.

Similar letters refer to similar parts wherever they occur on the different parts of the drawings.

Referring to the drawings, A indicates one end of a carriage thill or shaft secured in a suitable manner to the shaft-iron B.

The shaft-iron B is provided at its inner end with a preferably semicircular jaw b, adapted to encompass a portion of the thill coupling-bolt C, or an elastic sleeve D, located thereon, as shown.

The boltCis pivotally connected to the ears E E of the clip E', which is secured to the carriage-axle F by means of the plate E and nuts e e, as is common in devices of this kind.

To the shaft-iron jaw b is pivoted at b a metal bar or lever G, which may be rigid or springy without departing from the essence of my invention. rl`he free end of said bar or lever Gr is adapted to be detachably clamped or secured to the shaft-iron B by means of a locking dev ice` which is constructed, arranged, and operated as follows: vIt consists of a link or shank H, that is pivotally connected at /L to the shaft-iron B in any suitable or desirable nianner. The free end of said link is provided with a head I-I, that may be made of any desired form. In practice I prefer .to make it T-shaped and provided with a suitable perforation H, adapted to receive a strap I, connected to the thill coupling-plate E or axle in any suitable manner.

In the free end of the bar or lever G is made a longitudinal notch or recess y, adapted to receive the shank or link H when it is desired to lock the lever G in its normal position. (Shown in full lines in the drawings.)

In the shaft-iron B is made a recess or cutaway portion l at the place where the shank H is pivoted to said shaft-iron, so as to enable the shank II to be swung forward to the position sh'own in dotted lines in Fig. 2 whenever it is desired to liberate the bar or lever G from the shaft-iron B.

Although I have hereinabove shown and described the invention as applicable to thills of vehicles, I wish to state that I do not conline myself to such use only, asit may be used to equal advantage on vehicle-poles or similar vehicle devices.

To couple the thill to the bolt of the axleclip after the bar or lever Gr has been released and swung to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, the jaw b is placed over the thill coupling-bolt or its rubber sleeve, after which the said bar or lever Gris swung' to the position shown in full lines in Fig. 2 and secured in position by swinging the shank H from the position shown in dotted lines in Eig. 2 to the position shown in full lines in Figs. l and 2, causing said shank to enter the notch or recess g in the end of the bar or lever Gr and causing the head of said shank to frictionally bear against the said lever on opposite sides of the notch r/ therein, as shown in full lines of Figs. 1, 2, and 3.

To uncouple the device, it is only necessary to swing the shank H from the position shown in full lines in Eig. 2 to that shown by dotted lines in said figure, causing the bar or lever Gr to be released and then swung to the open position shown in dotted lines in Eig. 2 when the jaw b may readily be disconnected from the thill coupling-bolt or its yielding sleeve.

ll'hatl wish to secure hiv Letters Patent and claim isi4 l. In a shaft-shackle, in combination with the thill-iron terminating at its extremity in a jaw adapted to encompass or hold the coupling-bolt or its elastic cushion, of a metal har or lever, pivotally connected to the thill-iron and having a notch or recess at its free end, and a headed swinging shank having its lower end connected in the thill-iron and adapted for engagement with said bar or lever substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a shaft-shackle, the combination with a thill-iron provided with a slot extending in the direction of its length, of a lever suitably connected to one end of said iron and having its free end provided with a notch, and a swinging headed shank having its lower end pivotcd in said slot and adapted to engage in the notch of the lever for connecting' the free end of the lever to said iron.

3. In a shaft-shackle, the combination with a thill-iron provided with a slot extending in the direction of its length, of a lever suitably connected to one end of said iron and having its l'ree end provided with a notch, anda swinging headed curved shank having its lower end pivoted in said slot and adapted to engage in the notch of the lever for connecting the free end oi' the lever to said iron.

4. A shaft-shackle comprising in combination with a thill-iron, a lever pivotally connected to one end thereof, and a swinging conneoting device carried by the iron and adapted to engage the free end of the lever for connecting the latter to the iron. 5. A shaft-shackle comprising in combination with a thill-iron provided with a slot having one of its end walls beveled, a lever pivotally connected with one end of said iron, and a swinging headed shank pivoted in said slot near one end thereof and adapted to engage the free cnd of the` lever vfor connecting the latter to the iron.

1n testimony whereoi` l have aixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ALBAN ANDRN, CHARLES H. SMITH. 

